Soft-sided bag with collapsible support member

ABSTRACT

A soft-sided bag is provided having a collapsible support member and/or locking panel which imparts shape to the bag, yet is partially collapsible to allow for overall reduction in size of the bag for storage. Additionally, a handle assembly is provided which is solely mounted to the bag through limited connection points.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to soft-sided bags and, more particularly, to collapsible soft-sided bags.

[0002] It is desired to provide luggage which has sufficient volume to accommodate a person's belongings, yet allows for easy storage by occupying a minimal amount of volume. In the prior art, collapsible soft-sided luggage is well known. (As used herein, “soft-sided luggage” and “soft-sided bag” refer to bags (in the singular and plural) having fabric and/or leather (either material being synthetic, natural, or a blend thereof sides.) With the ability to collapse, soft-sided luggage can be folded, or otherwise reduced in volume, into a smaller storage size.

[0003] Typically, support members, of varying rigidity, are provided on soft-sided luggage to impart shape to the luggage. For example, sheet-like panel stiffeners are used. The support members, however, hinder the ability to collapse the luggage, thereby preventing maximum reduction in size of the luggage.

[0004] It is an object of the subject invention to provide a soft-sided bag having a collapsible support member which minimally hinders the overall collapsing of the bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The aforementioned object is met by a soft-sided bag having a collapsible, composite support member which can be disposed in a flat position to provide support to the bag, and folded to allow the bag to be collapsed. The bag generally is formed with a plurality of soft walls, including a front wall, a rear wall, and a side wall extending between, and connecting, the front and rear walls. The side wall of the bag includes a plurality of panels with the collapsible, composite support member being mounted to a panel of the side wall.

[0006] The composite support member is formed with two support sections, the sections being rotatable relative to each other. Preferably, the sections are connected by a hinge. Any form of hinge known to those skilled in the art may be used, such as for example, the two support sections of the composite support member may be ensheathed by a tight, forgiving jacket. The jacket provides sufficient support to maintain the two sections in proximity, yet allows the sections to be rotated one relative to the other in defining a living hinge. Alternatively, the support sections are not directly hingedly connected, but, rather rigidly mounted to the bag in parallel and close side-by-side fashion. As such, upon rotation, the material of the side wall essentially acts as a hinge and allows relative rotation between the support sections.

[0007] Preferably, a first of the support sections is rigidly connected to the bag such that the section does not move relative to the remainder of the bag. The second of the support sections is rotatable relative to the first support section so that the rotation of the second support section relative to the first support section results in the folding of the composite support member.

[0008] A locking panel is connected by a hinge to the first support section to allow the locking panel to selectively engage the composite support member. The locking panel is formed to overlap at least portions of both support sections of the composite support member when engaging the composite support member. It is preferred that the locking panel and the composite support member be provided with cooperating locking elements which allow for detachable locking of the locking panel to the composite support member. The locking elements may be of any type known to those skilled in the art, such as snaps and/or hook and loop fasteners (e.g. VELCRO brand). With the locking panel engaging the composite support member, the support sections are generally coplanar and movement of the support sections is limited.

[0009] A stiffening member may also be mounted to one of the panels of the side wall. The stiffening member is preferably not mounted to other portions of the bag.

[0010] With the locking panel being disengaged from the composite support member, the second support section may be folded inwardly into the bag. In addition, the stiffening member may be folded inwardly into the bag. Consequently, the overall bag can be collapsed to allow for the volume of the bag to be reduced.

[0011] In a second embodiment, the locking panel may be directly mounted to the side wall, without the use of the support sections (or composite support member). In this fashion, the locking panel may be selectively rotated so that a first region of the locking panel can selectively engage the side wall. With the first region of the locking panel disengaged from the side wall, the side wall, and thus, the entire bag, may be collapsed.

[0012] As a second feature, a handle assembly is provided having an inverted-U shaped, extendable handle. The extendable handle includes two posts which terminate in a transverse handle. The posts are telescopically disposed within housings, with each end of the housings being rigidly secured to the bag. Accordingly, movement of the housings, and thus the handle assembly, relative to the bag is limited.

[0013] These and other features will be better understood through a study of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the soft-sided bag of the subject invention;

[0015] FIG.2 is a partial elevational view of the soft-sided bag showing a wheel and a foot thereof;

[0016]FIG. 3 is perspective view of a composite support member for use with the soft-sided bag;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a front plan view of a stiffening member mounted to the interior of a top panel the soft-sided bag;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the soft-sided bag showing the handle assembly thereof;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 which shows a locking panel in alternate positions in and out of engagement with the composite support member;

[0020]FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the soft-sided bag showing the bag in a collapsed state;

[0021]FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the second embodiment of the soft-sided bag with a locking panel in an engaged state; and,

[0022]FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the soft-sided bag showing the bag in a collapsed state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Referring to the FIGS., a soft-sided bag 10 is depicted for storing and transporting clothes and other items. The bag 10 includes a plurality of walls, namely, a front wall 12, a rear wall 14, and a side wall 16. The side wall 16 bounds both the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14 and forms a connection therebetween. Thus, the front wall 12, the rear wall 14, and the side wall 16 collectively define a generally parallelepiped, enclosed volume 18. Pockets can be sewn into any of the walls 12, 14, 16, such as pocket 20 sewn into the front wall 12. A zipper 22 is provided to selectively close the pocket 20.

[0024] Piping 24 is preferably sewn in at the connecting seams of the front wall 12 and the side wall 16, as well as, at the connecting seams of the rear wall 14 and the side wall 16. In addition, any of the walls can be double-plied in regions of heavy wear, such as, for example, the bottom panel of the side wall 16, described below.

[0025] The side wall 16 is formed with various panels about the enclosed volume 18, including a top panel 26, side panels 28A, 28B and a bottom panel 30. With the front wall 12 and the rear wall 14 having rounded corners 32, the panels 26, 28A-B, 30 of the side wall 16 are joined by rounded junctures. As is readily apparent, other shapes of the comers 32 would result in other shapes of the junctures between the panels 26, 28A-B, 30 (e.g. right comers would result in right junctures).

[0026] A zipper 34 is sewn into the side wall 16 to provide selective access into the bag 10. The zipper 34 extends into a lower portion 36 of the side panel 28A, throughout the bottom panel 30, throughout the side panel 28B, throughout the top panel 26, and into an upper portion 38 of the side panel 28A (the zipper 34 is shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1 where hidden from view). With this arrangement, a portion 40 of the side panel 28A located between the lower and upper portions 36, 38 acts as a hinge for the front wall 12; as such, with the zipper 34 being unlocked, the front wall 12 may be rotated about the side panel 28A and the enclosed volume 18 exposed.

[0027] The bag 10 is preferably an upright bag having wheels 42 and feet 44 formed to support the bag in a standing, vertical position. Preferably, two of the wheels 42 are provided and spaced apart along the bottom panel 30 sufficiently to provide stability to the bag 10. Each of the wheels 42 is rotatably mounted onto an axle 46. The axles 46 are supported by a unitary, plastic base portion 48 which is preferably mounted to the bottom panel 30 using any technique known to those skilled in the art, such as for example, by rivets 50 (FIG. 6). Alternatively, the unitary, plastic base portion 48 may be mounted to the side wall 16 and/or the rear wall 14, in lieu of or in addition to the bottom panel 30. It is preferred that the axles 46 be generally vertically aligned with the plane of the rear wall 14. In this manner, with the bag 10 being pivoted and pulled in rolling fashion, all portions of the bag 10, especially the comer defined between the bottom panel 30 and the rear wall 14, have maximum clearance from the ground.

[0028] Preferably, two of the feet 44 are provided on the bottom panel 30, also spaced apart sufficiently to provide stability to the bag 10. In a preferred embodiment, the two feet 44 are joined by a cross-member 54 (FIG. 6) with the feet 44 and the cross-member 54 being a unitary piece, preferably formed of plastic. Any technique may be used to mount the cross-member 54 to the bottom panel 30, such as with rivets 56. The wheels 42 and the feet 44 collectively form a coplanar locus of support points which defines a stable, flat resting plane R for the bag 10.

[0029] With reference to FIG. 6, a composite support member 58 is rigidly mounted to the interior of the bottom panel 30. As more clearly shown in FIG. 3, the composite support member 58 includes first and second support sections 60 and 62 that are preferably hingedly connected so that the second support section 62 may be rotated about the first support section 60. The support sections 60, 62 are preferably equal sized and each is a unitary plate-shaped member formed of stiff backing material. The support sections 60, 62 must collectively have sufficient strength to support any contents of the bag 10 in an upright position. Any hinge known to those skilled in the art may be used to connect the support sections 60, 62. For example, the first and second support sections 60, 62 may be ensheathed within a tight, forgiving jacket 64 which defines a living hinge. The jacket 64 provides sufficient support to maintain the two support sections 60, 62 in proximity, yet allows the support sections 60, 62 to be rotated one relative to the other so that rotation of the second support section 62 relative to the first support section 60 results in the folding of the composite support member 58. It is preferred that the composite support member 58 be coextensive with the bottom panel 30. Alternatively, the first and second support sections are not hingedly connected. Rather, the material of the bottom panel 30 may serve as a hinge for the two support sections 60, 62. Where there is no direct hinge connection between the support sections 60, 62, it is preferred that the support sections 60, 62 be mounted to the bottom panel 30 in parallel and close side-by-side fashion. Accordingly, there may be relative rotation between the support sections 60, 62 with the bottom panel 30 holding the sections 60, 62 in fixed relationship.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the composite support member 58 is mounted to the bottom panel 30 using the rivets 50, 56. Also, it is preferred that the wheels 42 be mounted to the first support section 60, albeit via the base portion 48, and the feet 44 be mounted to the second support section 62, albeit via the cross-member 54. The rivets 50, 56 can extend through the respective first and second support sections 60, 62, such that the rivets 50, 56 cause the bottom panel 30 to be “sandwiched” between the support sections 60, 62 and the base portion 48 and the cross-member 54/feet 44. Because the base portion 48 is secured to both the first support section 60 and a handle assembly, as described below, the movement of the first support section 60 relative to the bag 10 is restricted and, thus, the first support section 60 is immovably fixed relative to the bag 10.

[0031] In addition, a plate-shaped locking panel 66 is provided that is, preferably, hingedly connected to the first support section 60 of the support member 58 so that the locking panel 66 may rotate about the first support section 60 and selectively engage the support member 58. The hinge connection between the locking panel 66 and the first support section 60 may be of any type known to those skilled in the art. For example, the jacket 64 may also ensheath the locking panel 66 to form the hinge. It is preferred that the locking panel 66 be wholly spaced from the hinge connection between the first and second support sections 60, 62. The locking panel 66 is formed to overlap at least portions of both the first support section 60 and the second support section 62 when engaging the composite support member 58. With the locking panel 66 being in an engaged state, the composite support member 58 is generally flat with the support sections 60, 62 being generally coplanar.

[0032] Cooperating locking elements 68, such as snaps, are disposed on the locking panel 66 and the composite support member 58 to allow the locking panel 66 to detachably lock to the composite support member 58 while being engaged thereto. It is preferred that the locking elements 68 be located on the second support section 62, rather than the first support section 60. Although not shown, other cooperating locking elements 68 may be used, such as hook and loop fasteners (e.g. “VELCRO” brand).

[0033] It is also preferred that a handle 70 be mounted to the top panel 26. The handle 70 is mounted on the top panel 26 since the bag 10 is envisioned as being an upright bag. Additional handles on other panels of the side wall 16 may also be provided. Any techniques known to those skilled in the art may be used to mount the handle 70 to the top panel 26, such as using rivets 72 (FIG. 7). It is further preferred that a plate-shaped stiffening member 74 be mounted to the interior of the top panel 26 which is generally coextensive therewith. The rivets 72 may be extended to pass through the top panel 26 and the stiffening member 74 as shown in FIG. 4. Preferably, the stiffening member 74 is not mounted to any other wall or panel of the bag 10 other than the top panel 26. The composite support member 58 and the stiffening member 74 impart a generally parallelepiped shape to the bag 10, even with the bag 10 having no contents therein.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 7, when readying the bag 10 for storage, the locking panel 66 is disengaged from the support member 58 and rotated away therefrom. Thereafter, the second support section 62 of the composite support member 58 is rotated about the first support section 60 and folded into the enclosed volume 18 to partially collapse the bottom panel 30. The side wall 16 is then collapsed, with the top panel 26 being collapsed by folding the stiffening member 74 inwardly into the enclosed volume 18. The front wall 12 may be pressed into contact with the feet 44 which are directed upwardly with the second support section 62 being inwardly folded. It should be noted that the rear wall 14, the top panel 26 and the bottom panel 30 are imparted with at least some rigidity provided by an attached member (i.e. these bag portions are not fully collapsible). In contrast, the front wall 12 and the side panels 28A-B are not imparted with rigidity and can be fully collapsed (this, of course, ignores any rigidity imparted by the piping 24.) With the second section 62 and the stiffening member 74 folded inwardly, the overall volume of the bag 10 is reduced. It should also be noted that although the locking panel 66 is only shown as being oriented to rotate towards the rear wall 14, this is a preferred arrangement, and, the locking panel 66 may be oriented to rotate towards other portions of the bag 10, such as either of the side panels 28A or 28B, or the front wall 12 (although not preferred).

[0035] In a second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a locking panel 166 is rigidly mounted directly to the interior of the bottom panel 30. The locking panel 166 is a unitary plate-shaped panel formed of stiff backing material having sufficient strength to support any contents of the bag 10 in an upright position and is formed with a first region 177 and a first edge 175. It is preferred that the locking panel 166 be shaped and formed to overlap the bottom panel 30. As shown in the FIGS., with the bottom panel 30 being rectangular, the locking panel 166 is rectangular.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the locking panel 166 is mounted to the bottom panel 30 using any technique known to those skilled in the art, such as using rivets 168. Also, it is preferred that the cross-member 54 be mounted to the exterior of the bottom panel 30 using the rivets 168, thereby causing a portion of the bottom panel 30 to be interposed between the locking panel 166 and the cross-member 54. The portion of the bottom panel 30 interposed between the locking panel 166 and the cross-member 54 will move in unison with the locking panel 166 and will not be disengageable from direct contact with the locking panel 166.

[0037] An elongated locking bar 104 is preferably mounted to the interior side 123 of the bottom panel 30 in proximity to the base portion 48 using any technique known to those skilled in the art, such as using the rivets 50. Cooperating locking elements 102, such as hook and loop fasteners (e.g. “VELCRO” brand), are disposed on the locking bar 104 and on the locking panel 166 to allow the first region 177 of the locking panel 166 to detachably lock to the locking bar 104 while being engaged thereto. Although not shown, other cooperating locking elements 102 may be used, such as snaps; also, the locking bar 104 need not be used, with the cooperating locking elements 102 being directly mounted onto the bottom panel 30.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 9, in use, the first region 177 of the locking panel 166 is disengaged from the locking bar 104 by separating the cooperating locking elements 102. Thereafter, the locking panel 166 is rotated about a rotational axis 122 into the enclosed volume 18 to partially collapse the bottom panel 30. The rotational axis 122 is disposed perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 9, and, preferably, the rotational axis 122 is generally parallel to the cross member 54 and is generally parallel to the edge 175. In a disengaged state, the edge 175 is spaced from the bottom panel 30. With the locking panel 166 folded into the volume 18, the front wall 12 may be pressed into contact with the locking panel 166 which is angled downwardly. With the locking panel 166 folded into the volume 18, and with the bottom panel 30 collapsed, the overall volume of the bag 10 is reduced.

[0039] As a further feature of the bag 10, with reference to FIG. 5, a handle assembly 76 may be provided having an extendable handle 78. The extendable handle 78 is shaped as an inverted “U” and includes two posts 80 terminating in a transverse handle 82. The posts 80 are slidably telescoped within housings 84. The interaction of the posts 80 and the housings 84 is known in the prior art.

[0040] The handle assembly 76 is mounted to the bag 10 by a holding member 86 that extends between, and is connected to, upper ends of the housings 84. The holding member 86 is preferably plastic and is mounted to the rear wall 14 using any technique to those skilled in the art. For example, the holding member 86 is mounted using rivets 88. In addition, the housings 84 are seated in sockets 90 formed in the base portion 48. Accordingly, the handle assembly 76 is solely, and securely, mounted to the bag 10 at both ends of each of the housings 84. In this manner, movement of the housings 84, and thus the entire handle assembly 76, relative to the bag 10 is greatly limited, and even altogether eliminated.

[0041] It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in carrying out the above construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and as shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

[0042] It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific structures of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A soft-sided bag comprising: first, second and third soft walls generally defining an enclosed volume, wherein said first wall extends between, and connects, said second and third walls; first and second support sections, said first and second support sections being rigidly connected to a first portion of said first wall such that said second support section is rotatable relative to said first support section; and, a locking panel formed to selectively engage said support sections, wherein said locking panel overlaps at least portions of both said first and second support sections with said locking panel engaging therewith, wherein said locking panel is hingedly connected to said first support section.
 2. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said support sections are rigidly connected to an interior side of said first wall, said interior side facing said enclosed volume.
 3. A bag as in claim 1 further comprising a stiffening member rigidly mounted to a second portion of said first wall, said second portion facing said first portion.
 4. A bag as in claim 3, wherein said stiffening member being solely mounted to the bag through mounting to said second portion.
 5. A bag as in claim 3, wherein said second portion is collapsible by folding said stiffening member into said enclosed volume.
 6. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first wall is partially collapsible, said first wall partially collapsing upon rotating said second support section about said first support section.
 7. A bag as in claim 1 further comprising rotatable wheels being at least partially mounted to said first portion.
 8. A bag as in claim 7 further comprising at least one foot mounted to said first portion.
 9. A bag as in claim 8, wherein said wheels and said foot collectively form a coplanar locus of support points for the bag.
 10. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first and second support sections are interposed between said locking panel and said first portion with said locking panel engaging said first and second support sections.
 11. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first and second support sections wholly overlap said first portion.
 12. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first and second support sections are generally coplanar with said locking panel engaging said first and second support sections.
 13. A bag as in claim 1, further comprising a handle assembly having an extendable handle and housings, said extendable handle having posts formed to telescopically slide within said housings, wherein said handle assembly is only mounted to the bag with each end of each of said housings being rigidly secured to at least one of said walls.
 14. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first and second support sections are hingedly connected to define a composite support member.
 15. A bag as in claim 14, wherein said hinged connection between said first and second support sections is wholly spaced from said locking panel.
 16. A bag as in claim 1, wherein said first support section is immovably fixed relative to the bag.
 17. A soft-sided bag comprising: a plurality of soft walls generally defining an enclosed volume; and, a handle assembly having an extendable handle and housings, said extendable handle having posts formed to telescopically slide within said housings, wherein said handle assembly is only mounted to the bag with each end of each of said housings being rigidly secured to at least one of said walls.
 18. A soft-sided bag comprising: a plurality of soft walls defining an enclosed volume; and, a locking panel rigidly secured to a first portion of one of said walls, said locking panel having a first region, wherein said locking panel is selectively rotatable so that said first region selectively engages said first portion, said first portion being at least partially collapsible with said first region being disengaged from said first portion.
 19. A bag as in claim 18, wherein said locking panel is rotatable about a rotation axis, said locking panel having a first edge which becomes spaced from said first portion upon disengagement of said first region from said first portion, and wherein said first region is located between said rotation axis and said first edge.
 20. A bag as in claim 19, wherein said first edge is generally parallel to said rotation axis.
 21. A bag as in claim 18, wherein said locking panel is rigidly connected to an interior side of said side wall, said interior side facing said enclosed volume.
 22. A bag as in claim 18, wherein, with said first region engaging said first portion, said locking panel generally overlaps in abutting contact said first portion.
 23. A bag is in claim 18 further comprising at least one foot to support said bag in an upright position, wherein said foot is rigidly connected to an exterior side of said first portion.
 24. A bag as in claim 18 further comprising a locking bar rigidly connected to said first portion.
 25. A bag as in claim 24 further comprising cooperating locking elements mounted to said locking panel and mounted to said locking bar, said locking elements cooperating to allow said locking panel to detachably lock to said locking bar. 